FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (5 page)

     The crowd clapped their hands loudly, clearly showing their support for the last two speakers.

     Councilman Sellon stood up and spoke out loud.

     “Ladies and gentlemen of Greentown, consider this for a moment. If we try to fight this demon ourselves, who knows how many of us will be hurt or killed
?
20, or maybe 30 of us
?
And if we hire Elementhars, it might provoke the demon to stay longer and kill all of us as punishment, which would be even worse
!
My way, as you can clearly see, is the best option
!
At most two more families would be sacrificed, but what are two families over the wellbeing, indeed the very
survival
of the entire town
?
I, Tide Sellon, hereby stake my honour and reputation that these demon attacks will cease within one week from now without us doing anything about it,” he insisted.

    The crowd, except for the first and second man, seemed to nod their heads in agreement. Even Mayor Conell gave a gentle nod in silent agreement. A little smile of satisfaction showed on Councilman Sellon’s face.

     A young man, of the age 13, stood up and approached the platform. He threw a bundle on the mayor’s table. The bundle was wrapped in green cloth. Everyone became silent. The mayor opened the bundle and found a demon’s severed arm, much to everyone’s horror. The young man then spoke in a loud voice.

     “I disagree
!
  This is unacceptable
!
” he protested.

     “Who are you
?
” asked Councilman Sellon.

     “I’m Lance Arman, son of Dent Arman of Sunbless Village. My entire family was killed by the demon several days ago. I can’t believe that you’re actually saying this, Councilman Sellon; and I can’t believe that all of you are actually considering this
!
Isn’t justice for the murder of my family, or that of the other families, important
!?
Is it right that we put another family through the pain and agony that I’ve just suffered, indeed am still suffering at the moment; so that you may hide behind your fear and cowardice, or so that you may only take action if it suits your convenience
?
It’s simple for you to ask the town to do nothing because you’re not at risk of these attacks, councilman
!
You live here in the centre of town in a big mansion surrounded by armed guards. But what about the common folks
?
They’ve neither a big mansion to hide in nor armed guards to protect them. And will you still be as passive, if and when the demon slaughters your wife and drains the souls of your children
?
” said Lance.

     The crowd was once again in an uproar. Mayor Conell called for order. After a while, the crowd calmed down.

     Lance was trembling with anger, disappointment and a sense of betrayal so intense that his face turned red. The face of Councilman Sellon himself was red, but with embarrassment.

    “What are we going to do now, mayor
?
” asked one of the townsfolk.

    “I still say that we should hire Elementhars. That’s the best option we have,” expressed the second man once again.

    “That’s a very expensive option that may not work out the way we’d like it to. Besides, where are we going to find Elementhars
?
  There’s almost none in this province, and by the time any Elementhar arrives from the other provinces, the demon would be gone. This option isn’t viable,” insisted Councilman Sellon.

     “Option _ of this, it is most viable
!
” said a hooded man who had just walked in.

     Everyone in the hall turned toward the entrance. They saw vaguely a hooded man walking in with a white wolf by his side. Temporarily blinded by the ray of sunlight bursting through the opened door, the people in the hall could not make out the features of the man clearly. Only much later, as both the man and his wolf walked several paces forward; and the door of the town hall entrance was closed, could they have a proper look at him. Judging by the strange black garments that he wore and his ancient manner of speech, the townsfolk concluded that the man was an Elementhar. Yet he travelled with a white wolf, which seemed very strange to them.

     The town mayor was irritated with the fact that someone had just gate-crashed his meeting.

     “Identify yourself, stranger
!
” he demanded.

     “Identity _ ‘Master Elementhar’ Ray Iddell is mine of this and this is my companion, Spirit the White Wolf,” said the hooded man as he pulled back his hood, exposing his dark hair and the silver headband.

    “And what business have you here, Master Elementhar
?
And what manners have you to bring an animal in here
?
” enquired the mayor.

     “Manners _ mine of these are not of your concern as my companion is always welcome and must always be made welcome to walk with me; and though an animal he is, he is actually more humane than most of you here. Business _ mine of this is obvious, that is of demon eradication as all Elementhars are about, and my price is reasonable, a hundred gold coins for one dead demon,” answered Ray, the Master Elementhar.

     “Elementhars are supposed to be rare and even thought to be extinct in this province. How do we know you’re not a fraud
?
” questioned Mayor Conell curiously.

     No sooner had the mayor finished speaking, an arrowhead-shaped pebble flew through the air from the Elementhar’s fingertip and pierced the table in front of him.

     “Umm, hmmm
!
Right
!
So you’re indeed an Elementhar. And for a hundred gold coins, you’ll kill this demon that’s been killing our people, is this correct
?
” he said after he had managed to summon up his courage

    “Correct _ this is of this,” confirmed Ray.

     Councilman Sellon stood up and slammed his fist on the table.

     “That’s ridiculous
!
It’s way too expensive. You can’t expect this town to pay you this ridiculous sum just to kill a demon
!
  That’s way beyond the market price for this kind of service,” he protested.

     “There’s no price too high or ridiculous to pay for survival, councilman,” said Mayor Connell.

     “Nor is there for justice
!
I haven’t much money, and even worse, I haven’t any family left. But I’ll give all I can to make sure that no other will suffer my fate,” said Lance to the townsfolk as he walked toward the mayor’s table again, took out three silver and five bronze coins from his pocket and placed them on it.

     The crowd was stunned. As a matter of fact, some even felt ashamed that an orphaned boy was willing to give money, of which he had but little, for their common purpose when others who were better off were unwilling.

     “And I ask that you help, or else this will greet you one fine evening
!
” said Lance as he pointed to the demon’s severed arm on the mayor’s table.

     The look of shock, fear and revulsion were clearly painted on the faces of the townsfolk.  One by one, they got up and placed their contributions on the mayor’s table. The mayor himself contributed ten gold coins. Councilman Sellon, however, refused to contribute at all and stormed out of the town hall, cursing as he went.

    “A hundred gold coins. You’ll get this sum when the demon is dead, Elementhar Iddell,” said the mayor.

    “Deliver _ I shall do of this of its head,” proclaimed Ray as both he and Spirit walked out the door in the same confident stride they came in with.

     The townsfolk left the town hall with mixed expressions on their faces. Some carried with them the feeling of hope. Others carried the feeling of helplessness. Most were just plain scared. But all of them were worried, and of that, there was no doubt.

     The evening sky was crimson red. The owls began to hoot as Master Elementhar Ray Iddell and his wolf companion, Spirit the White Wolf, walked the lonely road to a nearby village on the outskirts of the town. Ray had in his hand a thick and seemingly ancient book with a metal cover. Inserted into this metal cover was a small circular frame in which a diamond-like black jewel spun freely. The apex of the black jewel pointed straight ahead. Soon, they came to a sign on the road which read ‘Eastcrop Village’.

     Ray and Spirit continued in the direction that the black jewel pointed to. Eastcrop Village, it seemed to Ray and Spirit, was very quiet and almost felt deserted. There were approximately 30 farms in total, located equally on both sides of the one and only road, which ended at a single storey building Ray assumed was the village meeting hall. Each farm had a simple house, and it seemed that most of these houses were dark. Ray could only guess as to the level of fear that consumed the villagers as they hid there in the darkness of their homes, fearing to light even a single candle lest they attract the demon’s attention.

     Ray shook his head slightly at the silliness of these people and looking at Spirit; saw that he was shaking his head as well. Ray knew that demons were not attracted to or distracted by light, but by their senses. He knew that they were strongly drawn to the aura that the souls of every living beings produced. He also knew that younger people possessed more soul energy, thereby producing more ‘prominent’ auras and this made them more appealing to demons, whereas, older people’s soul energy were faded, thus producing less prominent auras, hence, they were attacked only if no younger victims could be found.

     Sitting under a large tree by the side of the road, Ray and Spirit rested their feet. There was nothing to do now but wait. The demon was hiding somewhere nearby. Ray knew this. The jewel was never wrong, not even once. As Ray leaned back on the tree trunk, his mind drifted to an incident almost 15 years ago. The whole scene played out in his mind as though it happened only yesterday. It was the Grand Creation Day, an annual event occurring on the 1
st
Day of Fifth Month of Wet Season. It marked the anniversary of Pioneer Elementhar Nova Vanguard’s victory over Lord Desolator almost 700 years ago; and was meant to be a happy occasion.

     Closing his eyes, Ray could still hear the music and taste the food at Monune Ruby, home of the Fire Elementhars, just as if he was there 15 years ago. Everyone was happy, in particular, Ray himself. He had graduated as a Fire Elementhar when he was of the age 18. At the age of 20, he had left for Monune Brown Diamond to study the earth element. He had then spent five years at Monune Brown Diamond, the home of the Earth Elementhars in Southern Falls Province. He was, at that time, one year away from graduating as an Earth Elementhar. For him, it was both a celebration and a reunion.

     Then it happened, on that fateful night of the 30
th
Day of Fourth Month of Wet Season of the Year 1185 of the Known Era. Almost two hundred assassins attacked Monune Ruby. One by one, Ray watched his brothers and sisters die. He heard their screams of anguish and desperation. He heard his own screams of sorrow and helplessness. Dead bodies lay everywhere. Ray opened his eyes. It was already nightfall. Spirit looked at him silently. Although he did not know what was going on in Ray’s mind, but he guessed that it was something tragic. He has seen Ray like this before. And he could identify with his human companion, for he too, had his past. Ray rubbed Spirit behind the ears. The nightly silence was broken by the rhythmic sound of crickets.

     A soft fluttering is heard. Meanwhile, the black jewel begins to spin wildly. Ray places the ancient book in his backpack and slings it over his shoulders. He gets up and turning to look at his wolf companion, receives a very dedicated and serious stare in return. The fluttering sound is erratic, which makes it very difficult for Ray to pinpoint the location of its source. After several long moments of scanning the sky, Ray sees it. The tiny, dark, unnatural figure of a half-human, half-insect demon is illuminated by the glow of the full moon. Ray breaks into a jog as he traces the flight path of the demon. Spirit the White Wolf runs along his side. It is a long distance to go, and Ray knows he will not be able to get there in time to prevent the demon from killing its first victim, so he does not bother to increase his pace. He knows that he needs to manage his stamina and endurance, or this will be the last day of his life.

     The demon lands on the roof of a dark wooden house that is approximately 300 paces from the large tree where Ray and Spirit had rested earlier. It walks on the wooden roof, peering into the house through the gaps in it. Meanwhile, inside the house, a family of three sit and hug each other in the darkness. The man of the house tries to console his wife and his little daughter, but the trembling of his voice betrays his effort. The little girl begins to cry. The demon stops, and then raises its head. It listens to the great symphony of fear and is thrilled by it. The little girl’s cries become louder, killing the silence of the night. Both the man and his wife try harder to quieten their child but to no avail. The cries of fear and sad desperation intoxicate the demon, as its body begin to sway to the tempo of an invisible melody.